


the immortal

by AslansCompass



Series: counsel of peers [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), RWBY
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, rwby s6, the lost fable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 09:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19059829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: The Thirteenth Doctor lands in Reminant just as team RWBY asks Jinn  a simple question.  When she sees their reaction,  she decides to step in.





	1. Chapter 1

So, where are we now?" The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into a wintry forest. In the distance, she could hear the noise of several people arguing. After a few minutes of walking, she stumbled upon a dis-railed train car lying on its side. Seven people stood around it; an elderly woman with strange goggles, a grey-clad man with a large sycthe, and five young people, all with weapons.

  
"Oz?"

  
"Hurry, he's trying to stop you--"

  
"Stop her from what?" The yellow-haired girl repeated.

  
"He's afraid... you'll find out what he's.. hiding." The boy collapsed to his knees. "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her."

 

"Her name?" The wind picked up, swirling snow across the landscape. The lamp gleamed with blue light. "Jinn?"

  
The lamp floated through the air, billowing light blue smoke. The smoke resolved into a female body, towering over the trees. "Wonderful," it said. "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"

  
"Oh, fascinating," the Doctor said to herself.

  
" I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer--"

  
"That's enough," the boy commanded.

  
"...two questions this era," she finished, turning to the boy. "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man."

  
"Ruby, please...don't..."

  
The man stepped forward. "Hey,"

  
The girls aimed their weapons.

  
"Do whatever you think is right, kiddo," he shrugged.

 

  
The girl--Ruby--turned back to Jinn. "Jinn? What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

 

  
"Noo!" The boy ran forward.

  
Everything turned white.

  
The Doctor found herself alone in an empty void. Well, it wouldn't be the first time. It didn't feel like the Zero Room. though. There was no sense of an independent existence, more like a temporary fence for livestock.

  
"Hello? Hello?" she called.

  
_Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl..._ As Jinn spoke, the void was replaced by a path to a distant castle. Oooh, immersive narrative, fascinating. Not what she'd have expected at this technology level.

* * *

  
The images faded away, leaving them in a white void before returning them to the winter forest.

  
"Salem can't be killed, you all heard her too, right?" Yellow Hair repeated.

  
"I--" the boy looked up.  
"So much you hadn't told us!

How could you think that was okay?"

"Professor, what is your plan to defeat Salem?" Ruby's voice was colder than her scythe.

  
"I... don't have one."

  
Maybe this would be a good time to reveal herself. Plans were overrated, anyway, she never had a plan. It was just a matter of making things up as she went along.

  
The man punched the boy, sending him flying back into a tree. "My whole life, no one wanted me. I was cursed! I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world. I thought I was finally doing some good!"

  
"But you are--"

  
"Meeting you was the worst luck of my life."

  
"Maybe you're right." The boy's eyes gleamed golden for a moment, then faded to green. He rubbed his cheek hesitantly.

  
"What happened?" Ruby asked.

  
"He's gone." The voice was different now. Younger, less confident.

  
"That bastard! Tell him we're not done yet!" Yellow ordered.

  
"No, this is different. He's gone. It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head--our head?" He pressed his hands against the sides of his head. "I hate this! I want it to stop!"

  
"He just left us?"

  
"Ahm!" The Doctor coughed loudly. Everyone turned to look at her. "Not to ruin the moment--actually, yes, I would like to, because this is frankly shameful behavior. "

  
Everyone except the elderly woman and the boy had their weapons out and aimed in her direction. "Good reflexes, very impressive."

  
''Who are you? Were you on the train too? What are you doing here?"

  
"The Doctor, no, talking sense into you lot, apparently."

  
"What?"

  
"Sorry, was that too much for you to process? Let me try again. I'm the Doctor, I was not on your train; I came in my TARDIS. And it seems I'm here to teach you lot some manners."

  
"Excuse me?"

  
"Yes, especially you, Yellow."

  
"The name's Yang."

  
"Yang. Good name, Yang. Y names are good, I like Y names. Speaking of which, I didn't catch everyone else's. So it's either nicknames or--"

  
"I'm Ruby Rose," the red-cloaked girl stepped up. "This is Blake, Weiss, my uncle Qrow, Maria." the older woman nodded. "And Oz---Oscar."

  
"Great, that's out of the way. If those Grimm beasts are attracted to negative emotions , you're providing an all-you-can-eat buffet. I suggest you come with me."

  
"Why? You got an airship behind those trees?"

  
"Nope. Got something better. You'll love it!"

  
The others glanced from Ruby to the Doctor to Qrow. Qrow shrugged. "Well, we can't stay out in the cold, that's for sure."

  
The Doctor led the others through the forest. A few minutes later, the blue box came into view.

  
"What is that?" Blake asked.

  
"It's my TARDIS."

  
"I'm not sure we'll all fit," Ruby said.

  
"Oh, you'll be surprised." The Doctor snapped her fingers to open the doors. "Go on, check it out."

  
The girls ran in first, followed by Qrow. Oscar hung back, helping Maria through the deep snow.

  
"Wow--what! It's bigger on the inside!"

  
"Yep," the Doctor grinned. "Bathroom's second left after the swimming pool, kitchen's first right, and there's plenty of bedrooms if you need some sleep."  
She turned to Oscar. "Hey, let's get that bruise seen to."

  
He rubbed his cheek. "It'll be fine, honestly."

  
"Well, I want to look it over anyway. Come on, it will only take few minutes."

 

* * *

 

The Doctor led Oscar down the hallway to the sickbay. "Just sit down anywhere."

  
Oscar looked around the room. Some of the equipment was familiar, but not all of it. He noticed something reddish-orange and shaped rather like a spool of thread. He cautiously sat down, noticing that it was made of tightly woven cords.

  
"Oh, that one's great, love it." The Doctor said. She pulled something small and metallic from her pocket. She held it near his face. After a few minutes, it made a buzzing noise. She looked at the handle and frowned. "Well, you didn't break anything at least. Though I'm going to have to talk with Qrow."

  
"He was angry," Oscar said. "It wasn't about me."

  
"Yes, I noticed. " The Doctor took a jar of cream from a shelf and opened it. "This might tickle a little bit, but it will help." She dabbed some on her fingers, then gently rubbed it into Oscar's cheek.

  
A tear dripped from his left eye.

  
"Hey, you gotta let me know if it hurts."

  
"No... it's not that... It's just... you remind me of my aunt."

  
"Is that a good thing?"

  
"Yeah, she's really nice---I just miss her. I haven't seen her for a while. "

  
"It's tough. Feels like you're going to be with someone forever, and then...stuff happens. You have to move on, even when you don't feel ready."

  
Oscar nodded. "I hope she's alright. I left her a note...but I really had no idea what was going on."

  
"Do you want to go see her?"

  
"What do you mean?" Oscar asked. "I can't just walk out on them--it'd take me months to get back to the farm, even if the train hadn't derailed. I--we--have a job to do."

  
"Ah, but my ship is special. Besides being bigger on the inside, it can travel anywhere in space and time. I can have you back at your aunt's house five minutes after you left--even five minutes before, but that runs the risk of paradoxes and isn't really a good idea."

  
"A time machine?" Oscar looked around the room. "Can you take me back home?"

  
"Course I can."

  
"No, I mean... back before all this started. Before I woke up with a voice in my head. "

 

"Ah, sorry, no. Can't do that, I'm afraid." The Doctor sat down next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

  
"Why? You saw what Jinn said."

  
"Well, yeah, but I'm a bit curious, me. Always have been. It's not the first time I've heard of something like that. Or experienced  it, either. Not that long ago I was a Scot with angry eyebrows."

  
"You---you reincarnated? Like Oz?"

  
"Sort of. Well, kind of. It's complicated."

  
"Tell me about it," Oscar mumbled.

  
"Alright then, if you want."

Oscar considered this for a moment. The statement had been more of a reflex than anything else, but he wasn't likely to get more information from Oz anytime soon. "Like, how did it happen? Was it a curse or something?"

  
"No, not a curse. Feels like one, sometimes, but it's not a curse. It's just what my people do."

 

"Your people?"

 

"Ah, right. Probably should start with that. I'm not human."

  
"You don't look like a Faunus, and you're certainly not a Grimm."

  
"Well, that's good to hear. No, I'm a Time Lord--or well, Lady, I suppose. Not that it matters. We have this trick, a little way of tricking death. When we get injured or really sick or just worn out, our bodies burn away and are replaced by a completely new one."

  
"Huh?"

  
"Oh, how can I show you--Ah!" The Doctor reached into her coat pockets. "Yo-yo, apple, physic paper, gloves--ah!" She held out a crumpled photograph. "This is what I used to look like."

  
Oscar peered down at the image. It showed an older gentleman and a dark-skinned girl. The girl was a few years older than Ruby and her team. "That was you?"

  
"Yep. Me and my mate Bill."

  
"What happened?"

 

"Cybermen. " The Doctor shook her head. "Long story. Point is, I know what it's like to have people look at you as a stranger. Blame you for things you never did, miss connections you never had.  Just thought you could use a friend."

"Thank you."

"Can I get you anything? Tea? Biscuits?"

"Is there a couch or something around here? I just need to be by myself for a while. "

"Just over there," the Doctor pointed. "Blankets are in that cupboard.  Meanwhile, I need to talk to some people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> irrelevant fact: thanks to vague pronoun use, Oscar now assumes that the Doctor used to look like Bill Potts.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor walked back into the control room.  Ruby and Weiss were examining various devices, but Qrow, Yang, and Blake remained vigilant.  "Right, yes, Maria, I believe if you'll come this way I have some power cells for those goggles of yours. Might take a bit of work, but should last longer than your current model."

"Why, thank you, young lady. This way, then?" Maria waved her hand dismissively. "Just give me directions, I know my way around a workshop."

"Two lefts, down one halfway, and right." 

Maria left the control room, cane tapping the floor.

"Right then, down to business." The Doctor clapped her hands together. "Time for a little lesson. Manners 101. When someone shares a personal secret, the proper response is not to punch them! Especially when they were forced into telling it in the first place!"

  
"Lady, I don't know who you think you are, but you have no idea what situation we're in. This isn't about who ate the last cookie. We're fighting a war--a war we can't ever win! And he never told us!"

  
"Alright, you asked for this," the Doctor said. She walked up to Qrow and slammed their heads together.

  
Qrow staggered backwards. "What the hell!"

  
"Oh, I'm out of practice. Haven't done that for a while. Did it hurt that much last time? Can't remember." She rubbed her head.

  
"What did you do to him?" Yang demanded.

  
"Just showed him a few things. Established my credentials, as it were. Well, satisfied?"

  
"Qrow?" Ruby asks.

 

'She knows what she's talking about," Qrow said, slumping to the floor. "If even half that's true...gods. ..."

  
"I can't you'd turn on him like that. You had no right to ask that question. None at all."

  
"He lied to us!"

  
"There's a difference between lying and not sharing everything. If I shared my life story with everyone, they'd think I was mad. "

  
"Are you?" Blake couldn't help asking.

  
"Well, a little bit," she acknowledged. "But you're missing the point! That man has been fighting evil longer than any man alive. Anyone else might have slogged off, let Salem have this world. Or summoned the gods to end it. How many times has he shared this information? How many times has he been betrayed?"

Qrow stared at the floor. 

"Oh no, I'm not finished yet. Especially with you, black bird! It doesn't matter what he did--what do you think that was going to do? A punch to the cheek. That man has died, over and over. And you thought a little slap would get your point across. Doesn't matter, anyway. Your words hurt enough. " 

"Sorry..." Qrow mumbled. 

"Don't apologize to me," she snapped. "Apologize to Oscar. Oz too, while you're at it."

 

* * *

  
When the Doctor went back to check on Oscar, he was fast asleep, curled into a tight ball on a purple lounge chair.  She took a blanket from the cupboard and draped it over him. He'd had a long day.  First the monster battle and then the train crash, plus the emotional tension.  No, the others' apologies could wait.

But Oscar wasn't the only person she wanted to talk to.  She took Oscar's head in her hands, gently rubbing the base of his neck. Two minds, yes. Two souls, two stories, like closed books; one temporarily set aside, one dust-covered and forgotten. 

The Doctor took the dusty volume in her hands. Ozpin, she called softly. You there, Oz?

No one answered.

She carefully lifted the cover, but the book was slammed shut. 

  
_Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get in?_

 

I'm the Doctor.  I saw what happened and--

  
_Leave me be. I've had enough for today. Enough for a lifetime._

 

I'm not here to judge. I just thought I'd tell you a story.

 

_What kind of story?_

 

Never really stopped to label it. Call it a fairy tale, if you like.

 

 _Would it make a difference if I said no?_ Oz scoffed. 

 

Trust me, you'll like this one. A long time ago, a young man grew up in a land of plenty. Despite the abundance, he felt sure there must be more to life. So he set off on an adventure, through new worlds and incredible places.  He made many friendships on his journeys, but each ended in sorrow. For the man still possessed all the gifts of his people; the chief of which was immortality.

 _Stop._ Oz's voice rang like a bell. _I know this story ._

  
But this isn't your story. It's mine.

 

 _Yours?  Who_ are _you?_

 

  
The Doctor. Most people call me the Doctor. When they aren't calling me things like 'Get off this planet' and 'Hey you' or 'Madman.'  I'm older than you think, younger than I've been. Didn't you hear what I told Oscar?

  
  
_Yes....however..._ Oz frowned.  _You're not from here, are you? Not from this world. No Aura, no Semblance... but you're a warrior. I can feel it._

 

When I've had to be.

 

They sat in silence. Under different circumstances, it might have been awkward. But the telepathic connection continued to flow, slow and steady as raindrops rolling downhill. 

 

It's hard, isn't it?  The Doctor said softly. People bring up the same questions, over and over, ones you've spent lifetimes considering, and answer them with a cliched slogan. Part of you wants to shake them by the neck, ask how they could be so thick.  And part of you is jealous of that naivete. That innocent hope.

 

Yes.

 

May I show you?

 

Scenes flickered through Oz's mind, each mere seconds long but filled with a lifetime of knowledge and regret:  two wires on the planet Skaro, a broken star badge on the floor,  a young woman left behind.  

 

I have enemies older than civilizations. And they won't ever stop chasing me. I've done things, horrible things, to stop them. I've been called a monster.

 

_That's why I didn't stop him. Qrow's right._

 

 Monsters don't care what they're called.  Monsters don't care who they hurt.  Yes, you've made mistakes.   That's not the same thing.  You are many things, Oz, but you are not a monster. 

 

 


End file.
